If “waffle” makes you think of the boxed up frozen kind or the topped with fake whipped cream and syrupy strawberries kind, then read on. Waffles can be healthy! As in totally whole-grain, dairy-free and refined-sugar-free healthy. They can also be as easy and weekday-friendly as toast….if you whip the batter up the night before.
The love affair between me and waffles goes back a lot of years. My dad will tell you that in December of 1993, I famously forced him, my mom, brother and grandparents to drive halfway around the state of Arizona in search of a Mickey Mouse waffle iron. (Picture a waffle in the shape of a Mickey Mouse face, and you’ve got it.) We finally located one in the far corner of some now defunct American department store, and I have carried it with me for 21 years. These days it’s showing its age, and shedding whatever non-stick crap they used in 1993, but I do pull it out occasionally to make the Bean a special waffle treat.
I’ve since acquired a second waffle iron (because no kitchen could possibly be complete with just one waffle iron, obviously) that makes—get this—FOUR massive waffles at once. That’s right: 1, 2, 3, FOUR!! No more standing next to a steaming waffle iron making waffles one by one. This thing demolishes an entire bowl of batter in two rounds.
When people ask me if I’m going to have more kids, I show them my waffle iron: Bring. It. On.
But enough about my waffle iron collection.
If you thought waffles were just a weekend treat thing, think again. I like to make these whole-grain, dairy-free, sugar-free ones for “Waffle Wednesday” in my house. The Bean and I whip up the batter—keeping the dry and wet ingredients separate—on Tuesday evening, and then we just combine and bake on Wednesday morning. It’s almost as quick as making toast, and about 472 times more delicious and exciting.
The leftover waffles (if you have any) freeze beautifully and can be defrosted and re-crisped in a conventional toaster or toaster oven.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole spelt flour (see note below for substitutions)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2-3 bananas)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup almond milk (see note below for substitutions)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
Instructions
- In a large Ziploc bag or container with a tight-fitting lid, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- In a smaller Ziploc bag or container with a tight-fitting lid, combine the banana, eggs, almond milk and rolled oats.
- Stash the wet mixture in the fridge overnight, and leave the dry mixture on the counter or in your pantry.
- In the morning, combine the wet and dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, whisking until blended. Stir in the vanilla extract and melted coconut oil.
- Pour batter onto a hot waffle iron and bake until crisp and golden brown.
- Serve waffles hot with a drizzle of maple syrup or a schmear of peanut butter. Yum!
- Let leftover waffles cool, then transfer them to a Ziploc bag and store them in the freezer. Reheat and re-crisp in the toaster.
Notes
Buttermilk or plain old cow's milk can be used in place of the almond milk, if you prefer. I expect coconut milk might also be a delicious substitution, but I haven't tried it (yet).
I love the flavour and nutritional profile of whole spelt, and use it in all my baking, but it can be substituted with whole wheat, white, or a mixture of both if that's all you've got.
If you don't have time to make the entire batter the night before, just combine the milk and rolled oats and let that mixture sit in the fridge for at least a half hour, or overnight if you can.
I used cooked steel cut oats and the waffles were great!!! 5 stars ⭐️
Ok so I am not a person to leave comments about recipes that I like or don’t like. Ever. But I have made these waffles now over a dozen times and they are my go to waffle recipe so I thought I should break tradition and actually comment. I LOVE this recipe! It’s awesome and east and because it’s make ahead I can even make these mid week for my very picky toddler. Plus they freeze so well that a quick toast in the morning is like having fresh waffles again! I follow the recipe as is although usually use regular full fat milk since that’s what we have at home. They turn out just right every time. I have tried numerous other recipes and none even come close to these. They are filling and a tasty treat and some might even consider them healthy! Thanks for this excellent addition to our regular breakfast rotation!
Shouldn’t oats be included with the dry ingredients in the instructions?
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Really good! Gave these a go this morning (did last nights prep too)Thanks for creating a healthier version, nice and filling too.
Glad to hear you enjoyed them Laura!
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I love these waffles, but I made a slight change to your recipe. Instead of the 1/3 cup of melted coconut oil, I use 1/3 cup of chunky peanut butter. I also add about 1/4 cup of dried cranberries. They are wonderful – thanks for the recipe!
Great idea! I love these subs! Thanks for sharing :-).
Love that I can prep these the night before. Gracias! My trio loves these.
Hi S, can’t wait to try this. Have you tried this with brown rice flour?
Hi Jen! I haven’t made them with straight up brown rice flour, but I have made them with a mixture of GF flours (including rice) and it worked really well. I find waffles to be quite forgiving (as in I take out the eggs, all the gluten, and it still works!) so brown rice should work fine! Let me know how it turns out.
Having experienced these first hand, I can tell you that they are absolutely to die for.
I am so guilty of the frozen waffles. Definitely will try this!
These sound delicious and I’m sure my kids would love to wake up to these! 🙂